By Lil Miss Fitness, LLC

Working out for fitness? or health? or both?

Most people who start or continue to work out have a plan of either a fitness related goal, health related goal or some combination of both. Why does it matter?

Well, we train differently based on which one of those is more important. Fitness related goals generally require more intense bouts of exercise, sometimes pushing ourselves to our limits and for aesthetic goals related to fitness, dietary changes are also necessary. Health related goals are more focused on staying active throughout the day, moving more, eating healthier in general and maybe less intense workouts. If you’re going for both then by aiming for fitness goals, moving more, and changing your diet to provide healthier options, then you can achieve both!

So which are you working on? Both are important but I also truly believe that for most people, focusing on health related goals and changing our daily lives and decisions is what will have the most impact. Walking more, parking further away…. all the things that we all hear constantly.

It’s really hard to make changes. It goes against our human nature. So, if going to a gym or doing a workout program all out does not sound the least bit appealing to you.. start slow… start moving, walking with friends instead of going to unhealthy dinners, working out together if that makes it more fun, get creative but don’t feel the pressure to start all out and then burn out.. just start taking small steps to get there and it will be more fun, more likely to stick, and once you start seeing health results, you may change your mind and fall in love with exercise!